Nobody interfered with their travel to the space pad, nor did anyone try to stop them from boarding the waiting shuttle. Isa was somewhat surprised, especially since none of the three had registered their classes with the Senate.
It might have been because they had informed the Station Commander’s secretary of their classes, but that seemed a little sketchy to Isa.
Not that she cared. Sketchy was fine. Besides, if what she suspected was accurate, what the government of Gentrius knew about her wouldn't matter for very long. Few would likely survive the inevitable dungeon breaks.
Isa and her parents had to wait a few hours for several other individuals to arrive. It was fine since it allowed Isa to take a nap. The racial upgrade hadn’t been particularly restful, and she still felt drained by the changes.
She woke as the shuttle took off but quickly dozed back off once the flight smoothed out. The seats were made to recline and adjust depending on the direction and thrust of the shuttle, so it was a relatively comfortable trip.
An assistant was there to meet the shuttle when they arrived, and he efficiently processed each new arrival.
“The Stone family? Brentley, Jayne, and Isamie?” the assistant asked as they approached. Verbal confirmation was unnecessary, given their identification chips, but it was still done as a courtesy.
When the trio affirmed their identities, the assistant told the adults, “I’ve updated your temporary housing assignment. The next connection to Sumar is in fourteen hours, but you are welcome to stay for up to three days. The Dining Hall is located on the Recreation Deck if you want a meal.”
Turning to Isa, he said, “Miss Stone, the Security Manager has requested you remain on station for the next two weeks for orientation. You’ve been assigned a small, permanent room on the Atled deck. I’ve sent instructions to your AI.”
Isa inclined her head slightly in acknowledgment before stepping forward, allowing the next group to approach the assistant for guidance.
After a cursory review of the information sent to her AI, Isa confirmed the data she’d gathered about the station had been accurate. While the station was larger than the one her family had lived on for the last fifteen years, the setup was nearly identical. Consequently, they had little trouble navigating the complex construction.
“You don’t have to stay in a separate room,” Jayne said as they picked up their baggage from the nearby lockers.
There was no risk of theft since each compartment was controlled by an electronic lock that interacted directly with the recipient’s AI. While it was technically possible to hack into such items, the bags were also chipped, providing a second layer of security.
Such efforts wouldn’t stop Isa if she was determined to steal something, but it was more than enough to prevent most people.
“I don’t mind,” Isa replied. “I need to get used to it eventually. Are you staying the full three days or heading to Sumar earlier?”
Jayne and Bren exchanged a look. “I don’t mind staying a couple of days,” Bren said.
“Good. I’m not quite ready to leave yet,” Jayne said with a relieved sigh. Turning to her daughter, Jayne said, “I know you’ll be getting your own room on Sumar, but you can always stay with us if you want.”
Isa tilted her head slightly as her AI verified her earlier research. “Rooms on Sumar are individual – or couples, I guess. They don’t have family units like they do on the station.”
“Really?” Jayne asked in surprise. “I… I guess I should have paid more attention when looking into things.”
“It’s fine. I’ll probably be close by. It’s a pretty small settlement.”
They walked in silence for several minutes as they made their way to the elevator leading to the temporary guest quarters. As the doors to the elevator opened, Jayne was unusually hesitant to separate from her daughter.
It took a few moments to convince her that everything was okay. They were on the station. It was one of the safest places they could be – barring some idiot blowing a hole in an external wall by playing with magic.
With that image in mind, Isa directed her AI to remind her to wear her protective suit anytime she left her quarters – including the helmet band. It would probably be a good idea to remind her parents to do the same. It wasn’t required while on the station, but it wasn’t uncommon for people to do so, especially when they were new to living in space.
As she approached the door to her semi-permanent living quarters, Isa noticed a youngish-looking man with dark, curly hair standing near her door. It was obvious that he was waiting for someone. The way his eyes lit up when she got close made it clear who that someone was.
“You must be Isamie Stone,” the man said. “I’m Zacharia, but you can call me Zach,” he added awkwardly before giving a half-wave.
“Isa,” she replied, causing the man to visibly relax. With a mental nudge, her AI accessed her room, and the door slid open, unblocking her path.
The room was very simply furnished and was clearly designed for a single occupant. There was a single bed along the left wall, with a three-drawer chest serving as a nightstand. On the opposite wall was a small desk with a chair, and two doors – one leading to a compartmentalized closet and the other to a tiny bathroom with a showerhead, toilet, and sink. There was no tub, but she didn’t expect one in such a confined space.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“Wow, this room is tiny,” Zach said with a light whistle from the door. “I expected them to give you something nicer, especially considering how excited the boss got when he heard you accepted the job earlier.”
Isa had kept an eye on him when she stepped past, curious whether he’d follow her inside without an invitation or not. He hadn’t, which was a mark in his favor.
“I’m only going to be here part-time. Most of my time will be spent on Sumar,” Isa said with a neutral smile as she dropped her bags on her bed. She sent her new room assignment to her parents so they knew where to find her and reminded them that she had some items for them to take when they departed.
She’d only bought herself a single blanket, not realizing she’d essentially have to maintain two residences, but she didn’t think it would be an issue, considering the bed was made and there was a comforter already present.
“I guess that makes sense,” he said with a look of confusion before frowning. “But why would you want to spend most of your time there? There’s literally nothing on the moon but the colony. At least on the station we have entertainment.”
“My parents are going to be there,” Isa replied before conspiratorially adding, “Also, I suspect dungeons are going to appear on the surface, and I want the chance to explore them.”
Zach’s eyes lit up. “Like the stories? That would be amazing. I thought about the possibility of dungeons appearing when the system arrived, but everyone I mentioned it to called me crazy. Even Karena laughed at me, and she’s usually really friendly.”
Isa shook her head at the now excited young man. He had appeared to be a few years older than her before, but the excitement on his face suddenly made him look younger.
“Well, obviously, I don’t think it’s crazy,” she replied as she walked back to the door. “What class did you choose?”
“I’ve always wanted to have magic, but the system said something about my soul being too weak,” Zach said with obvious disappointment. “I was still able to get access to an Air magic cantrip since it’s my strongest aspect, but my class is Electrotech Specialist. It gives me experience for doing my job, basically.”
“That’s convenient,” the former goddess said with a smile. “What cantrip did the system give you?”
“Air Gust,” Zach replied. “It makes a small puff of air, basically like blowing on something really hard. It’ll probably be useful for cleaning electronics,” he added with a shrug.
“Maybe you’ll eventually unlock better cantrips if you practice with it a lot.”
“That would be awesome,” Zach said hopefully, though she could tell he didn’t put much weight into the possibility. “Do you want to meet the rest of the team now? They’re all excited to meet you. I think Karena is especially excited to have another girl on the team.”
Isa paused and considered the offer before giving the young man an apologetic smile. “I’d love to, but I’m a bit tired, and I told my parents I’d meet them for a meal shortly.” Seeing his look of disappointment, she added, “I start orientation in twelve hours, so they won’t have to wait long.”
With a look of acceptance, Isa’s new coworker said goodbye and departed, allowing the former goddess a few minutes of solitude before she headed to the Dining Hall.
Dinner was no different from the food she was used to eating on Kenti station. Most of it was processed and came out of a machine, but there were a few bits of greenery added in that she was certain came from the on-station greenhouse.
Isa idly wondered how much better the produce would be once those with Nature Magic learned how to use it. Isa could manage something similar with Arcane magic, given enough time and effort. But it wasn’t worth the effort when others could do the work for her.
----------------------------------------
When she entered the Security suite a half-day later, Isa found herself in a room that was almost a mirror image of the one she’d worked in before.
The room was open, with workstations set in pairs around the edge of the room. In the center was a large, oval conference table surrounded by uncomfortable-looking chairs. Several desks were empty, devoid of anything beyond the computer interface mounted to the top.
“Oh, look! We’re hiring kids fresh out of primary school now. I didn’t realize Kenti used child labor,” a snarky voice muttered from the other side of the room. It was quiet, so Isa doubted many people heard the comment.
Isa’s eyes narrowed in the direction of the speaker. It appeared the lone other female wasn’t nearly as excited about her arrival as Zach, the insecure woman’s deskmate, led her to believe. By the look of surprise on Zach’s face, it seemed Isa wasn’t the only one who’d heard the comment.
“Isamie Stone! Welcome to the team!” her new boss loudly proclaimed as he exited his private office, drawing her attention. The slightly overweight man didn’t seem surprised by the teenager’s apparent youth, which meant he’d done at least a little research on her before attempting to hire her away from Kenti Station.
“I’m so glad you’re here! These guys have no idea how lucky we are that you accepted the offer – or that you happened to be planetside when this whole—” he waved his hands erratically “—system thing happened.”
Pleased by the recognition, Isa smiled widely. “Thank you, Mr. Proffort! I’m glad to be here.”
“Oh, none of that. Call me Danny! We’re practically peers, given your qualifications!” he beamed.
Isa noticed the darkening of several expressions around the room. The most pronounced reaction was from the other female – the one Zach had called Karena. It seemed Karens were a thing on this planet, just like they’d been on one of the mundane worlds she’d lived on so very long ago.
Isa was almost sure that the world had destroyed itself at some point. Either that, or it had managed to ascend. Most likely, it had been destroyed, though. Otherwise, she’d have encountered it when looking for technologically advanced worlds in the Mortal Realm.
Ignoring those with expressions of discontent, Isa addressed her new coworkers and said, “I’m Isa. I’ve been a Network Security Specialist on Kenti Station for about a year and a half. I’ve probably corresponded with a few of you in the past on various projects since I was in charge of our long-range security.” She turned to her new boss/peer and asked, “I believe I’ll be doing something similar here?”
The older man nodded eagerly. “I’m happy to hand off that responsibility to you! Marcus and Juni currently do most of the work in that arena, so you’ll have to get with them to see what needs to be done.” Danny addressed two of the men in the room. “Please coordinate with Miss Stone regarding long-range security. She is one of the foremost experts on the topic.”
“Yeah, right. There’s no way this bitch is an expert in anything except maybe sucking dick,” Karena grumbled as she rolled her eyes.
Not inclined to allow such blatant disrespect, Isa turned to the grumbling woman and said, “I’m sorry, what was that?”
Karena looked up from her pout. “What?”
“Could you repeat what you just said?” Isa asked.
“I didn’t say anything.”
By his uncomfortable expression, it was clear Zach had heard his friend's comments. He glanced between the two women as if struggling to decide how to respond.
Ignoring them both, Isa turned back to Danny. “Where would you like me to start?”